10 Doctor Who Episodes That PISSED People Off
2. The Deadly Assassin
This was the first serial to air after Sarah-Jane Smith was left in Aberdeen by the Doctor and was also the first serial not to feature a travelling companion. The Doctor receives a vision of the President of Gallifrey being assassinated, though when he returns in an attempt to stop it, he himself is implicated in the murder.
With returning characters like The Master and new characters like Chancellor Goth, the plot is heavily inspired by The Manchurian Candidate. Mary Whitehouse, a campaigner to 'clean up TV' took particular issue with this story, though it was the ending of the third part that drew the most of her ire. The Doctor's head is held underwater by Goth, then it cuts to black. Whitehouse argued that this would terrify the children watching, who would then spend a week not knowing if the Doctor survived.
The BBC apologised for this and actually edited the master tape so that on repeat this ending was removed. While this was a victory for censorship at the time, it also sparked the beginning of a somewhat more violent time in Doctor Who history, presided over by John Nathan-Turner.